Page 99 of Gratification in Gluttony

Their wings flared again. “Thank you,” they said smugly, giving Toni a haughty smirk as they strode purposefully toward Rusty, who’d just stepped through the kitchen doors. “Rusty, you are a bitch.”

Rusty’s eyes widened in offense. “What did I do? I just walked in.”

And Toni lost it, hiding his laughter in his arm as Gem scrambled toward the pair to intercede before the conversation escalated.

As he wiped amused tears from his eyes, Toni’s ears picked up the heartbeat that had become so familiar to him, and he turned to find Jude coming to a stop beside him. Jude was watching Gem, Zef, and Rusty, a smile playing at his mouth.

“Do I want to know?” he asked, and Toni chuckled.

“Just Zef being Zef.”

“Never a dull moment with you all.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Toni said honestly, and Jude smiled fully but didn’t speak.

Silence fell between them, and Toni wouldn’t have labeled it as awkward. Strained, perhaps? But not awkward.

“Hey, bitesize,” he said when the silence stretched.

“Hi, Toni.”

“You’re looking good.” Toni reached out to trace the clear skin below Jude’s eyes where he’d had bags for so long, but stopped short of actually touching, forcing his hand back to his side. “Looks like you’ve finally gotten some good sleep.”

Jude’s throat bobbed as he tracked Toni’s withdrawal. “Yeah, I swear I slept for a whole week after I turned in my final paper.”

“How’d you do?”

“B-plus average,” Jude said.

Since Toni had no idea what that meant, he said, “And that’s good?” Jude nodded, and Toni grinned, unable to stop himself from reaching out again, this time to tuck a curl behind Jude’s cute, curved ear. “Of course it’s good. Mr. Smarty Pants.”

Jude tilted his head just enough to press against the brief touch. “Can we talk? Not here, but later, maybe? I know you have no reason to give me a chance to explain—”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Toni asked, genuinely bewildered. “I told you, all you have to do is give me a call.”

“I know.” Jude looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets as he worked his jaw. “I picked up the phone a dozen times. Just chickened out before I actually dialed.”

“Chickened out? What’s that?”

Jude snickered. “Um, sacked out? I think that’s how you all say it.”

“Ah, got it. Yeah, I wanted to text you too, but I didn’t wanna, you know”—Toni pantomimed vaguely—“get even more of my Toni all over you. Shit, that sounded way stupider than it did in my head.”

Covering his mouth with his hand, Jude laughed, and Toni’s entire body lit up at the sound. “I’m, uh, not opposed to getting more Toni all over me.”

“Is that so?” Toni arched a challenging eyebrow, and that beautiful blush colored Jude’s cheeks.

“But I’d like to talk first. I think you deserve that,” he said, smile fading. “You know, if you want that.”

“Yeah, Jude, I do. How about after we get settled at Oliver’s parents’, we could—”

“Okay,” Jude said quickly. “Yes. I’d really like that.”

“Me too,” Toni said honestly, and Jude’s eyes glossed over momentarily before he blinked it away.

“Thanks, Toni.”

“Nothing to thank me for, baby.” Toni grazed his knuckle over Jude’s cheek, and the human smiled again, showing those adorable dimples.

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